Conference Big Six Conference Offensive scheme T formation | 1942 record 3–7 (3–2 Big 6) Home stadium Memorial Stadium | |
Head coach Glenn Presnell (1st year) | ||
Template:1942 Big hero 6 football standings The 1942 Nebraska Cornhuskers football team was the representative of the University of Nebraska and member of the Big 6 Conference in the 1942 college football season. The team was coached by Glenn Presnell and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska.
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Before the season
Former assistant coach Glenn Presnell was promoted to the top spot after the departure of Lawrence Mcceney "Biff" Jones, who was recalled to active military duty when the United States was drawn into World War II following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Wartime conditions had drastically altered life across the nation, with travel restrictions, blackouts, and rationing. Football teams were made threadbare by the mass volunteer enlistment of young men into the armed services. It was against this backdrop, and with a roster that included at least two players recovering from broken legs sustained in the previous year, that a new head coach would attempt to carry a Nebraska team still reeling over the disappointing 1941 season that saw a new record set for consecutive losses at five straight.
After the season
The 1942 season ended as one of the worst seasons in program history. It was only the second time ever that Nebraska dropped seven games in a single season, the previous being the bleak 1-7-1 record from the A. Edwin Branch's single season at the top in 1899. While the cause of these disappointments could be attributed to the personnel changes at the top, the depleted roster, or the high number of injuries, the numbers posted for the 1942 season were no less of a disappointment. Coach Presnell subsequently stepped down after just one year, and assistant Adolph J. Lewandowski assumed the role of head football coach and also athletic director. Presnell's single season career at Nebraska was the second-worst in the program's history to date, which contributed to the football team's overall record slipping to 301-110-31 (.716), as the conference tally also fell, to 107-19-11 (.821).